Pain
by ItsLux
Summary: Bit of an AU. In the first episode, when Brandon and Callie went to save Jude, the cops didn't make it fast enough. The Fosters bring in Callie and Jude, but for those kids, things are never easy. Life proves to be filled with obstacles, and Callie thinks it might be time to stop dodging them. / Rated T for language and vague violence.
1. Chapter 1

It's funny, isn't it?

How fast life changes.

How things can go from laughing to screaming in 2 seconds.

I never much liked that aspect of life.

And yet, that seems to happen to us. Jude and I. One second we were laughing while Jude is slipping on some of our foster father's ex wives dresses, and then… he came in. I know something was wrong just by looking at him. He was bedraggled, his sunken eyes slightly red. Was he high or drunk? I don't know, and the difference doesn't much matter to me. Jude, even though he is only eleven, realized something was wrong and quickly pulled off the dress. But he notices. "I leave the home for a few hours, and you take that as an opportunity to vandalize my stuff?" His voice is slurred, his walk is crooked. I take that he's drunk.

Jude froze, eyes wide. "S-sir, we were just… messing around. We didn't break anything, I promise!" He said it before I could stop it, and I looked at him with fearful eyes. It was obviously the wrong thing to say. The foster father, who's name was Adam, stepped forward, raising a fist at Jude. He tried to swing down, but I didn't let him. I punched him as hard as I can in the face, and run before he recovers from the shock. As I'm escaping the house, I hear him speak—

"Well, Jude," he started, his voice sinister. "Your sister ran. Seems she doesn't care as much as she-" the sound of me smashing his car with a baseball bat interrupted him. I smirked. It wasn't the best idea- but he didn't hurt Jude.

I should have realized that would've meant.

* * *

**Three Months Later**

I honestly expected to get beat up. Whatever. Not the first time it's happened, not the worst time it's happened either._ Are you even human, Callie?_ I thought to myself, looking at the concrete as I walked out of the "juvenile detention center." _Those girls were beating you up and you just lied there. Do you want to die?_ Perhaps I did. But this wasn't the time for that- I just thought that if I didn't put up a fight, I'd see Jude sooner.

My walking turned into a run when I saw Bill, my social worker. I approached him, swallowing hard. "Hi," I said, looking between him and the mixed woman standing by him. "Where's Jude?"

Bill sighed. "Callie, he's with his foster family. He's fine." I knew he wasn't fine. They never moved him out of that evil man's home. But I wouldn't get anything out of him, that I knew. Bill turned to the woman, who was about my height. "Callie, this is Lena. She was the first person I thought of when deciding where to place you next. Lena and her partner have three kids at home, two of which they adopted from the foster system. Lena, this is Callie. She's a wonderful girl, really- Aren't you, Callie?"

I shrugged. "Occasionally." Which was true.

Bill just smiled, pretending I didn't make that comment. "So you're taking me home?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. She looked much too nice for Bill to have picked her. He had a knack for placing me in the worst possible home he could.

Lena hesitated. Obviously not! Bruises must scare her. Too nice, of course. She looked me up and down, a look of pity on her face. A look I hated. "Well… It's just for a few weeks, right?"

Lena smiled at me and turned. "Come on, Callie, I'll walk you to my car. My house isn't that far." Lena pulled open the passenger door for me, and I stepped in. The entire ride I stared out the window, part of me wishing those girls had just killed me.

* * *

Lena parked outside of a house that was much too nice for me. It was small, sure, but it was a… quaint small. There were a lot of plants and small lawn ornaments outside of the house. I thought it was gorgeous. Just don't tell them that.

Lena walked me in, where three kids about my age instantly stopped whatever they were doing to look at me, the bruised girl. I was probably just another toy to them. Someone they could mock and poke around until it was finally, finally time for me to leave. That's what happened in my other foster homes. I ignored their stares and sat down at the island, joining the others. I stared at my fingernails, which were a bit bloody from my busted lip. I curled my hands into fists, hiding it away from the other kids.

The only girl stared up at Lena. "Um… who's this?" I could tell she was trying to be fake nice, but it wasn't really working. Lena smiled the best she could.

"Kids, this is Callie. She just got out of juvie and was in between foster homes, so I thought we could make her feel welcome for a few weeks until she can find a more permanent home." My god. She had to tell them about JUVIE? What kind of first introduction is that? "Hey, kids! Look at this beaten up girl who clearly hates all of you! She was in jail! She'll be living with us! Make her feel welcome!" It sounded so ridiculous, even in my head. Two of the kids, one of the boys and the girl, looked incredulously at me, but the other boy just smiled.

"I'm Brandon," the older looking boy said, sitting in the seat next to me. "I'm Stef's son. This is Jesus and Mariana," he explained, motioning to the boy and the girl. I glanced at them, before looking back down at my placemat.

"That's nice," I said sarcastically. "I'm Callie. Don't know who Stef is." His smile faded slightly, but I'm sure he was taught to be nice to guests or whatever. "Oh, and if you're wondering, I was in juvie for beating up someone's car with a baseball bat."

They didn't move, but I know they were wondering.

Everyone was silent for awhile. The kids just exchanged glances with each other and with Lena, who was quietly fixing dinner. I half expected her reprimand me, tell me to stop being so mean, or something like that. But she didn't. _Don't feel guilty,_ I warned myself, rubbing my left hand with my right._ They don't care about you. They're being nice._

* * *

That night, I slept on the couch. I had trouble sleeping. Earlier that day, just as Lena was serving dinner, a woman came home. Stef was her name, she said. I may have made some… rather rude comments about her sexuality. Stef tried to smile at me, tell me it was nice to meet me, but I knew she was lying. And now I hated myself for it.

It took me hours to get in a happy mindset. I closed my eyes, tried to smile…

But then I remembered Jude.

I sprang up from the couch, thinking. I knew his phone number by heart. I can call him…. That kid, Brandon. He was using a phone earlier. If I can just sneak into his room… I tiptoed out of the living room and up the stairs, glancing around to be sure no one else was awake. No one was. I looked in each of the rooms. In one, the Jesus kid was sleeping. In the other, Mariana. One last shot— Brandon's room. I quietly pushed it open, wincing when it creaked, but he slept like a log. I slowly moved forward, unplugging his iPhone and running out the door and down the stairs. I typed in Jude's number. "Baby? It's me. I'm going to get you, I just… need to figure out how."

* * *

I had to go to school, that I knew. That probably wasn't going to be easy. People are cruel. Not that I really cared- publicly, at least. Put up a tough front, I decided, and they'd leave you alone. Make them afraid of pretty much nothing. After all, I did go to jail. I beat up a car! I'm vicious.

The thought made me want to laugh.

After lunch, I walked past the beach, looking down. "Callie!" I heard someone calling my name and I turned, tensed. It was Mariana, biting her lip. "Um… if you're leaving, I'd take the back way. It's only a few blocks to the metro." I paused. Was she trying to help me or trying to get me into trouble? It was a lead, I suppose. I nodded and walked in the other direction, not bothering to thank her.

I knew when I stepped off campus that someone was following me. I ignored whoever it was, simply walking faster. Jude. Jude. Had to get to Jude. San Ysidro was pretty far— but not too far. I could make it, I thought. Stef and Lena will probably report me missing or something stupid. I'd probably get removed from their house and placed into another shitty one- but I'd have Jude, and I can protect him. I always do.

"Callie, wait." I turned. Brandon? What was he following me for? He was definitely the last person I would expect to be off school grounds, technically breaking the rules. "What are you doing?"

"Will you just mind your own business? Go back to school. Wouldn't want to ruin your perfect record or whatever."

"Callie, come on- you can't leave, you'll get in trouble- god, why does this number keep calling me?" He pulled his vibrating phone out of his pocket, looking down on the screen. Jude's number. I lunged forward and grabbed the phone, clicking accept. "Who is that?"

"I borrowed your phone."

"Callie!" The voice on the other end was a hushed whisper. Jude was probably hiding from him. I instantly smiled.

"Hey, baby, I'm on my way to get you right now, hang in there— Jude, what do you mean? Baby, it's okay, I won't get sent back, I'll see you soon, okay? I'm going to the metro right now. What? Okay, I love you, I'll see you soon."

I handed the phone back to Brandon, who looked confused. "Who's that? Your boyfriend?" I raised an eyebrow.

"As if. Look, I'm going to the metro, so you should probably go back to school." I kept walking. So did he.

"Nope, I'm coming with you. If I let you get in trouble, my moms will kill me."

"Won't they kill you anyway?" I asked him, not looking back at him as I walked. "Sneaking to San Ysidro with the new girl?"

"Probably. But I'm guessing you don't want to go to jail."

"And I'm guessing you don't want to either."

"Let's just get to the metro without killing each other, okay?" he put his hands up in surrender. I shook my head.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night."

* * *

It took us about an hour and a half to walk all the way to the metro station. Brandon paid for his ticket, and then mine. I didn't want him to, but he insisted. I think he's an idiot.

We boarded the train silently. It had gotten dark by the time we had purchased the ticket and boarded the train. "Hey," I said, breaking the silence. "Didn't you have that music thing tonight?"

He frowned, looking down at his lap. He seemed to have forgotten. Hesitating, he finally said, "there'll be others." I don't know if I believed him. "So, um… I don't want to be mean, but… how'd you get in juvie?"

I looked over at him quickly. "Didn't I tell you? I beat up someone's car with a baseball bat."

He nodded. "Well, yeah, but why? Whose?"

Oh. I swallowed, not knowing if he would really understand. He had been nice enough so far, perhaps it would be nice to have a sort of friend. I didn't want him to think I was a crazy chick who randomly decided to beat up someone's car. "Well… he was my last foster father. My brother, Jude, the one we're going to get, tried on one of his ex wives dresses. He walked in and totally went berserk. He started beating him up and kicked me when I tried to fight back. So I beat up his car. Police didn't believe me, though. They believed him. So they took him to juvie. That's, um, where we're going."

"He just hit him? Why?"

"Well, he did it all the time. He hit me, too, just he never hit us that hard. I had to stop it. I couldn't let him hurt Jude."

Brandon paused. "What about you?"

I bit my lip, thinking. "Jude's more important."

We rode the rest of the way to San Ysidro in silence.

* * *

Brandon and I approached that evil house and I looked at him. "Okay, here's the plan. You go to his door, ask him for directions to the metro. I'll sneak in the back way and get Jude. We leave. That easy." Things are never that easy. I knew that. But chances are, I'd just get a few more bruises and Brandon would call the cops and I'd stay in a holding cell for a night. But with the evident bruises again they'd probably move Jude somewhere safe. Maybe, if I was lucky, to the Fosters with me.

"I can do that."

Brandon walked to the front door, with me tiptoeing to the back. I glanced through the curtain on the door. Brandon knocked on the door, and my old foster father, obviously annoyed, got up and walked up to the door. As they started to talk, I slowly pushed the door open. "Jude!" I whispered at the boy in the kitchen. He turned and smiled, starting to run towards me. But he was loud.

Adam turned. "You! What are you doing here? I thought I got rid of you three months ago, you ungrateful little-"

"I just want to see Jude, he's my brother, I-"

"SHUT UP! I don't need you in my house fucking things up, you always do. Always disappearing, always returning at one in the morning, always waking me up! You never think of anyone but yourself, do you?"

"Just let me see Jude, I don't want to-" I gasped. Adam pulled open a drawer, grabbing hold of a gun.

"Sir, don't do that, there's no need for that!" Brandon said from behind Adam, his eyes wide. Adam turned, waving the gun in his face.

"Now listen here," he said, looking at Brandon but pointing the gun at me. I gulped, unable to breathe. "You are ruining my life for the last- Hey! What are you- this is private property!"

"Police!" A woman shouted. Stef. And her partner. They kicked open the door, and Stef quickly embraced her son, gun still pointed at Adam.

Adam froze, staring from Stef to me, gun lazily aimed somewhere around my stomach. I finally thought I was safe. But I wasn't.

Because then, he shot.

* * *

** Anddd that's chapter one. I've never written for the Fosters, but I really love this show, so I hope it's okay. By the way, my name is Lux and I'm seventeen. I really like writing, and photography, and Maia Mitchell. I really hope you guys like this! I should have another chapter up soon. By the way, I'm not sure if I should take this into a Brallie direction or not? I love Brallie, but I know Callie deserves a family… If you guys have a preference, I'd love if you'd tell me :) Thanks for reading!**

**~ Lux**


	2. Chapter 2

_Hush... lit-tle baby... _

_don't say a word."_

I stared up at the ceiling, softly repeating the lullaby under my breath. I thought if I kept singing, it would keep me sane. It would be the one thing keeping me down on Earth.

I knew I'd be shot before it had actually happened. I felt the impact of the bullet before I heard the crack of his gun. Just a moment earlier, Stef and Mike had barged in, stony looks on their faces, and Adam almost dropped his gun... but I wasn't that lucky.

Maybe I was lucky, though. For example, it was I who had been shot. Not Jude, God forbid, I couldn't live if he had been shot. Not Brandon, who only came in attempt to help me. And not Stef, who was still nice to me after all the terrible things I had said to her.

It had taken me a few minutes to register the pain. I lied there on the floor, hand on my left upper arm where my wound had been. I wanted to cry out, but I couldn't. I just stared at the ceiling, humming the lullaby. I did wish I could sing something that didn't make me feel so tired. It hurt to think.

"Oh my god," I heard Stef mutter from a few feet away. She ran up to me, looking horrified. She knelt down next to me, and even though her police uniform made me slightly uneasy I said nothing. She gently but quickly moved my hand away from my wound, looking at it. I hadn't seen it yet. I wondered how it looked. "Mike, call 911."

"Already on it."

What did I know about the upper arm? There were important arteries there. If the bullets got to them... I didn't know what would happen. Bad things, probably. Maybe there would be more blood if I had hit a major artery. Then again, I hadn't seen any blood. All I saw was the dirty ceiling.

Out of the corner of my eye I finally noticed Jude. Stef and Brandon had an arm around him. He was crying, fast and hard. I frowned. Why was Jude upset? I saved him. He would be okay now. I reached over and gently set my hand on his. "Hey, it's okay," I whispered. "I'm okay."

* * *

**Stef**

Somewhere between comforting her brother and arriving at the hospital, Callie blacked out. I figured it had to do with the pain, although blood loss was probably a possibility.

I rode with her in the ambulance, holding tightly onto her hand and whispering things like, "it'll be okay, you'll be okay, don't worry." But secretly? I didn't know. You can die from a gunshot to practically anywhere. People have died from getting shot in typically non lethal places. People have lived from getting shot in a fatal place. Anything is possible, and that's what worried me.

I didn't know much about Callie, but I knew she wasn't new to violence. She had gotten beaten up in juvenile, and she wasn't phased by it at all. I had my suspicions that her past foster families weren't the kindest to the poor girl. Maybe she had an excuse for being so hostile to everyone.

Everyone except her brother, that is. She took a bullet for him. She risked going back to jail for him. The way she comforted him, it was like she was confused that he was upset. She didn't understand that he must feel the same way about her that she feels to him.

Mike brought Jude and Brandon to the hospital, and they arrived moments after Callie and I did. Jude sprinted into the waiting room, Brandon on his heels. "Is she alright?" Jude asked, looking fearfully at me. My mouth dried.

I wanted desperately to tell him that yes, Callie was perfectly fine. But I didn't know. Five minutes ago the paramedics rushed her into a room, and I haven't heard a thing since. I just smiled. "I'm sure your sister will be fine, Jude." I pulled him into a hug.

Brandon caught my eye, and he looked nervous. Scared. "Mom... I didn't- I was just trying to- I didn't know what else to do. I knew she would go back to jail if she got in trouble again, so..."

I motioned for him to join the hug. "Hey, it's fine, it wasn't your fault." It didn't seem like a good time to yell at him, not with Jude right there. Jude wasn't technically family, but he was small and innocent and he looked at me like he knew everything about the world a kid his age shouldn't. "Brandon, go sit down with Jude while I call Lena." Brandon nodded and led Jude down to a chair, sitting next to him.

I sat down, punching in Lena's number on my phone. It rang twice, and then she picked up. "Lena?"

I could hear Mariana and Jesus talking in the background, probably asking where I was and why Brandon skipped his music competition. Lena shushed them. "Hey, Stef, what's going on? Did you find Brandon and Callie?"

I took a deep breath, looking over at Jude, who was still crying. "Yeah. They went to her old foster home to get her brother, Jude. But her old foster father pulled a gun on them."

Lena gasped, and for a moment she seemed at a loss for words. "I-is Brandon okay?"

I paused. "Yes, Brandon's okay."

Lena let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god."

"But Callie was shot."

There was nothing on the other end but silence. Lena swallowed hard. "What hospital is she at?"

I gave her the address of the hospital and the room number and hung up.

Part of me regretted ever allowing Lena to take in Callie. _If only you had said no, Stef, _I thought wearily, setting my head in my hands. _That poor girl wouldn't have gotten shot._

But really, I knew better. She had gone back to save her brother. She would have done that anyway. And chances are, if she had been paired with another family, he wouldn't shot and killed her, maybe her brother too.

I swallowed my guilt when I saw the doctor gently shut Callie's door behind him and walk out. He looked down at his clipboard, absentmindedly tapping it with his pen. I stood up, approaching him. "Is she okay?"

"Thankfully," the doctor started, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully can only mean good. "The bullet did miss any major arteries. We were able to mostly stop the bleeding and right now we're just cleaning her up. We'll stitch up the wound in a few minutes. There was a bit of bone damage, so her arm will be in a sling for few weeks, but it's nothing major."

"Um... can we go in there?" I asked, looking at Jude. I knew he would want to see her immediately if she was alright. He nodded and stepped aside.

"Go right along," he said. "But they're probably already stitching her up, so if they're sensitive to that you might want to warn them." I highly doubted Jude would care. I didn't know about Brandon, but mostly I was worried about Callie and Jude.

I nodded and thanked him. I approached the kids, putting a smile on my face. "Callie's fine. You can see her if you'd like," I said to Jude. Jude wasted no time, running straight to the door past the doctor. Brandon looked at me, then the door, and walked in.

Callie was sitting on the end of the bed, still in her earlier attire. Her hair was up and she looked annoyed as the nurse next to her stitched her wound. "Are you almost done?" she muttered hastily. Her expression completely changed when Jude ran into the room. "Oh, Jude, you're okay!"

He hugged her and she wrapped her free arm around him, closing her eyes and gently rocking him back and forth. "I thought you were gonna die," he said, his speech slightly muffled by her neck. Callie shook her head.

"No baby, you know I wouldn't leave you."

"Then why did you let him get you?"

Callie paused, thinking of an answer that would satisfy Jude. "Well, I thought... I thought that if he didn't get me, he would've gotten you, or Brandon, or Stef, and we can't have that."

"Why can you get shot but not us?"

Callie didn't respond. She just ran her free hand through his hair and smiled at him. "Doesn't matter, okay? We're okay."

Brandon and I watched the sight before us. I was appalled at how little Callie cared for her own safety. She even admitted that she cared more about Brandon and me, people she barely knew, getting shot than herself.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by a soft knock at the door. Lena. She hugged me, then hugged Callie. "Are you okay?" Lena asked her, concerned. She nodded.

"I'm fine." Callie's hostile tone had returned. She seemed to speak that way to everyone except for Jude. I wondered if she ever raised her voice to him. "Um... when can we go back to your house?"

Lena glanced at me, then at Jude, who looked at her innocently. She hadn't asked, but I knew; Callie wanted Jude to live with us, too. They were a package deal, it seemed. Lena just smiled, patting the two kids on their shoulders. "I don't know. But I'll ask the nurse, okay? Let's just focus on getting you better."

Lena headed back over to me. Brandon had walked out into the waiting room to join Mariana and Jesus, whom Lena had brought. "Are we bringing back that boy?"

"His name is Jude," I said, my eyes darting to him and then back to Lena. "And I don't think Callie will ever like us if we don't. You see the way she acts towards him. It's like he's her son."

Lena nodded. "You're right. I guess we will. I just hope Callie can try and be a little nicer, I'm doing the best I can." I nodded.

"I got it, sweets." I pulled her into a hug and then pecked her cheek. "Go wait with the kids. I'll see what I can about getting her out."

She nodded and left. I approached one of the nurses who wasn't currently dressing Callie's wound. "So, when will we be able to take her home?"

The nurse looked over some of her papers then shrugged. "When we finish with the gauze and you fill out some paperwork, she's good to go."

* * *

**Callie**

As I walked out of the hospital, Jude and I hand in hand, I felt the others eyes boring holes into my back. I turned, letting go of Jude's hand. I was right; Stef looked at me, half mad and half upset. "Yes?"

Stef tensed. "Callie, you don't need to be so hostile towards us. We're on your side."

I rolled my eyes, turning and pulling Jude towards the car. "Okay, then." I reached out with my free hand to open the door, but the stupid sling got in the way. I sighed and pulled it off, rolling it in a ball and stuffing it in the pocket of my jacket.

"Callie!" Stef said. "Stop! You'll hurt yourself."

I faced her, doubt written all over my face. "Really? Who cares? This isn't the worst thing that's happened to me. It doesn't _matter, _Stef. People get hurt every day. That's life. I'll get hurt again. It doesn't matter."

"I care, Callie! How would you feel if Jude had gotten hurt? Imagine how he feels! You're not... bulletproof. You're not just there to act as a human shield." Callie turned back to the car, opening the door and climbing in.

"Aren't I?"

* * *

**I want to thank everyone SO SO much for the great reception I've gotten. Seventeen reviews in a night. You don't know how much I appreciate that! Thank you so so much!**

**Anyway, I've decided that Brallie probably won't happen; I do love the ship, but Callie DOES deserve a family. I hope that doesn't upset anyone, but I felt it was the best way to go. I've also updated the summary, because obviously the shooting wasn't going to be the main focus of the story. Hopefully everyone likes the things I've got planned for this :)**

**~ Lux**


	3. Chapter 3

No one spoke the whole way home. Jude didn't even say a word to me, which seemed surprising, because I'm sure there was so much he wanted to say. He just laid his head against my shoulder and stared out the window until we pulled up in the driveway. "Come on, Jude," I said to him, pulling him inside the living room. "We sleep in here." He nodded as he sat down next to me.

"You shouldn't be so mean to them, Callie." Jude bit his lip, looking down at the ground. "They're just trying to help. They're way nicer than all of the other foster homes we've been in."

I was at a loss for words. It was obvious Jude had more hope than I thought he should have... Jude and I weren't lucky. We had what seemed like a good foster home once. The Olmsteads. He had hope then, too. But then things changed, and we got kicked out. That's how it always worked. That's how it would work now. "Jude... You know this isn't permanent."

"But how do you know? You told me they kept those other kids. Why can't they keep us?" Jude frowned at me, and I pulled him into a hug, deciding to stop talking before he gave me hope, too.

I heard footsteps behind me and let go of him. "Callie?" Stef asked, crossing her arms. "Can we talk?" she eyed Jude. "Ah... alone?" Hesitating for a moment, I finally nodded.

"Jude, um, why don't you go upstairs and meet the others? I'm sure they'll want some company." Jude nodded, but I'm sure he would just ask one of them for a book or something. He got up and walked away, carefully glancing over at me when I thought I wouldn't see him.

"So what do you want?" I asked, turning to Stef. I crossed my arms, mimicking her. She sighed.

"Callie... we never agreed on letting Jude stay with us." My breath hitched.

"What?"

"I mean, maybe we could have Bill put him with another family. One with a kid his age. I'm sure we can find-"

"No." I told her. "You're not sending him off somewhere else. Every house Bill puts us in is always shit and if he gets put in a bad one again, I-" I stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I won't be there for him."

Stef swallowed hard, obviously offended that I would curse in front of her, but she said nothing of it. "I understand, Callie, but-"

"Fine," I told her, looking down at my feet. If you want to send him away, you can. But I'm going with him."

* * *

**Stef**

I really didn't know how I felt about that. I liked Callie. Even if she didn't seem to like me much. She was... damaged, it seemed. And I liked to fix people. I sighed, throwing my hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay, he can stay."

She smiled wide, and for a second I thought she was going to hug me. But she just turned around and headed for the stairs, probably to tell Jude the good news.

* * *

**Callie**

Stef and Lena tried to keep me home from school the next day, but I refused. I was fine. Well, I thought, at least. My arm hurt, but I did get shot. Obviously it wasn't going to feel perfect right away.

People started whispering the second I stepped into the hallway. Was I in the news? Probably. A messed up foster kid getting shot trying to protect her brother definitely made a story. Either there was a news article or someone told, because everybody seemed to know.

The gauze Lena insisted I wear around it didn't help much either.

Everyone acted really weird about it, too. For example, when I was at my locker, this short girl approached me. "Does it hurt?" she asked, looking at the gauze.

I blinked, confused for a moment. "What?"

"Um... you know," she said hastily, pointing to my arm. "Does it hurt?"

I shrugged. "I... guess. It doesn't necessarily feel good."

Everyone treated me like some sort of goddess or something. I didn't understand. I mean, you get shot one time and suddenly you're royalty. Too bad I didn't get paid.

At lunch at least eight people asked if they could see it. I told them no in a very rude way. Let's just say, chances are, they'll never speak to me again. Ever.

I picked at my food, holding the peanut butter sandwich in my hands but not eating it. My appetite had disappeared.

"You going to eat that, or can I steal it?"

I looked up at the stranger sitting in front of me. She looked about my age, but she didn't look like me. Not in my mind, at least. Her long, slightly choppy black hair was pulled into a loose ponytail. Her green eyes looked at my curiously, and her mouth was turned up in a playful smile. I hadn't known her at school, but I did know her.

I chuckled, leaning back in my seat and handing her the sandwich. She took it from me, and then checked me out. "Since when do you go here?" I asked.

Noah shrugged. "Recently," she told me. "What about you?"

It was nice to know nothing about her had changed.

Back when I lived with the Olmsteads- the only foster home which had the premise of being good- she was my sort-of friend. We hung out a lot. Noah was who I went to when I really didn't want to be at the house- I went to her a lot after things went... _bad_ with Liam. "My new foster family lives here. One of the moms is the vice principal."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "Ms. Adams is your foster mom? You've got it rough."

"Believe it or not, she's not that strict."

Noah nodded. "Well, Cal, I've missed you. We should hang out sometime. Catch up."

I paused, thinking. "Um... sure. You can come over Friday, if you want. I doubt they'll let me out of the house after what happened last night."

Noah's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What happened last night?"

I looked down. Oops. "Um..." I pointed to the gauze on my arm. "I got shot."

Her mouth dropped open. "No way. By who?"

"My last foster father. I went to get Jude and he had a gun."

"Well. Are you okay?"

I nodded. She smiled and playfully punched me on the shoulder. "I should go. The bell's about to ring. Text me, okay?" Noah swiped the napkin from under my tray and scribbled down her number. She passed it to me.

And when she left, I just sat there, watching her walk away.

* * *

**Mariana**

I stood in front of the mirror in Jesus's room, eyeing myself from head to toe. I took off the jacket and turned to Jesus, who was playing Jude's PSP. "Jesus. Do you think I look better with or without the jacket?"

He didn't look up. "Great."

I scoffed, turning to face him. "Um, excuse me. You didn't even look up!"

Jesus looked up, glaring at me. "You look fine, Mari. Just because you want to use my mirror doesn't mean I have to help you."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, whatever."

I stared at myself. _Why do I bother to try so hard? _I thought, sighing. _It's not like anyone cares. It's not like anyone notices. It's not like it makes a difference._

I shook my head. "The mirror's all yours," I told Jesus, who was still buried in his video game. I walked out and headed back to my room. Frowning, I fell back onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling. _Maybe I should just give it up._

"Hey, Miss Thing, dinner's ready," my mom said, peeking her head in through the door and smiling. I glanced over at her. She was lucky- even in her police uniform she looked great. So did Lena, and Lexi, and Callie... what did they have that I didn't?I shook my head.

"Not hungry."

"You sure?"

"Yep."

Mom sighed in defeat and left, but not before giving me a worried glance.

* * *

**Callie, Two Days Later**

_**Hey Noah, it's Callie.**_

_hey, what's up?_

_**It's Friday.**_

_ur folks okay with me coming over?_

**Didn't ask. But they're cool with anything. My foster brother skipped this huge music competition and he didn't even get grounded.**

_damn. lucky dude. ok, i'll be there in a bit._

I quickly texted her the address before shoving Brandon's phone back on it's charger and tiptoeing away. I crossed the hallway and headed downstairs. Stepping into the kitchen, Stef smiled at me. She was sitting at the counter, reading her book, whilst Lena cooked dinner. "Hey there, Callie, what's up?"

I absentmindedly tapped my fingers on the granite countertop as I sat down next to her. "So, ah, can my friend Noah come over?"

Stef raised her eyebrows. "Noah? Are you... seeing someone?"

I shook my head. "Oh, no, no, Noah's a girl."

Stef shrugged, smiling as she took a sip of her coffee. "Never stopped me." Setting her cup down, she nodded. "Sure, she can come over. Oh, also, we decided that if both of you are going to stay with us, you shouldn't stay on the couch. We're getting a couple of beds shipped out tomorrow and we're going to set you up in Mariana's room and Jude up in Jesus's room."

I chuckled slightly before returning to my usual expressionless face. "And they were okay with that?"

"I haven't exactly told them." I nodded.

"I get you."

Thankfully, there was a knock at the door, saving Stef and me from an awkward silence. "That's probably Noah." I sprang up from my seat and headed over to the door, opening it up. I was right. Noah stood there, grinning at me.

"Hey there, Cal," she said, wiggling her fingers in a sort of wave. I smiled slightly and stepped back, letting her in. "Woah, nice place."

"Well, thank you," Stef said, leaving her seat to greet Noah. "I'm Stef, one of Callie's foster moms."

Noah cocked her head. "One of?"

Stef's smile wavered, obviously expecting some derogatory or rude comment about her partnership with Lena. "Oh, ah, there's my partner Lena, too, of course. She's the vice principal of Anchor Beach."

Noah just smiled and stuck out her hand. "That's just lovely." Stef shook her hand, relieved. "So, what's for dinner?"

* * *

**I realize this chapter kind of went all over the place, sorry, there were a lot of things I wanted to put down and not a hundred percent sure on how to put it. I hope that everything is starting to make sense.**

**I'm also planning on giving Callie a love interest, and I wanted to know what you all thought. Would you be okay with me possibly making Noah a love interest? It wouldn't be easy but I think there would be a lot of good plot points.**

**But, if most of you guys are against it, then I won't- I do want to make you guys happy :)**

**~ Lux**


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